Prospects in working life and the effect of information

Last registered on April 06, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Prospects in working life and the effect of information
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009117
Initial registration date
March 18, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 21, 2022, 1:13 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
April 06, 2022, 8:25 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Eva Kleifgen
Affiliation
IAB Nürnberg
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Gesine Stephan
PI Affiliation
IAB Nürnberg, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
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PI Name
Thomas Dohmen
PI Affiliation
Universities of Maastricht and Bonn, IZA, ROA
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PI Name
Steffen Künn
PI Affiliation
University of Maastricht, IZA, ROA
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-05-25
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
info-treatment, reorientation, job search
JEL code(s)
J24, J62, J64
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The project examines the impact of information on prospects in working life - in terms of opportunities for professional reorientation. Randomly drawn individuals receive information and an access link to the Federal Employment Agency's online exploration tool New Plan - Inspirieren. New Plan - Inspirieren is designed to actively support people in their search for career reorientation opportunities. To this end, information on alternative occupations, such as earning potential, employment opportunities and job availability, is provided in a clear and individually tailored manner.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Dohmen, Thomas et al. 2022. "Prospects in working life and the effect of information." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9117-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of
i) informing a treatment group by postal letter about an online tool by the German federal agency, which provides information about reorientation and returns to occupational mobility and
ii) an online survey
Intervention Start Date
2022-05-25
Intervention End Date
2022-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
knowledge about job alternatives and potential support measures;
Occupational and regional mobility;
Employment and earnings;
Job search;
Preferences and awareness regarding occupational and regional mobility
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
30.000 employed and 45.000 unemployed will be informed by letter about the online tool New Plan, which provides information about reorientation and returns to occupational mobility. The letter contains an individualised QR-code and link to a webpage, asking for consent to track participants' search behavior within the online tool and afterwards forwarding participants to the online tool.

Three weeks after the intervention, these 75.000 treated and a control group of further 75.000 persons will be asked by postal letter to take part in an online survey covering their knowledge and usage of the online tool, job search strategies, knowledge about outside options and personal characteristics.

Linking the data gathered via tracking and the survey to the Integrated Employment Biographies (IEB) data, effects of the information provision on occupational mobility and other indicators for labor market integration may be estimated for the treatment group, the survey-control group and a third group receiving neither information nor a survey link.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
by computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
150.000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
150.000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Sample of employed: 30.000 info-treatment + survey, 30.000 survey control, 30.000 control group.
The sample consists of 1/2 randomly drawn employed and 1/2 oversampling of persons in helper occupations.

Sample of unemployed: 45.000 info-treatment + survey, 45.000 survey control, 45.000 control group
The sample consists of 2/3 randomly drawn unemployed and 1/3 oversampling of persons without an educational degree.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethikkommission des IAB
IRB Approval Date
2022-04-05
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan